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Trouche B, Schrieke H, Duron O, Eren AM, Reveillaud J. Wolbachia populations across organs of individual Culex pipiens: highly conserved intra-individual core pangenome with inter-individual polymorphisms. ISME COMMUNICATIONS 2024; 4:ycae078. [PMID: 38915450 PMCID: PMC11195471 DOI: 10.1093/ismeco/ycae078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Revised: 04/26/2024] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/26/2024]
Abstract
Wolbachia is a maternally inherited intracellular bacterium that infects a wide range of arthropods including mosquitoes. The endosymbiont is widely used in biocontrol strategies due to its capacity to modulate arthropod reproduction and limit pathogen transmission. Wolbachia infections in Culex spp. are generally assumed to be monoclonal but the potential presence of genetically distinct Wolbachia subpopulations within and between individual organs has not been investigated using whole genome sequencing. Here we reconstructed Wolbachia genomes from ovary and midgut metagenomes of single naturally infected Culex pipiens mosquitoes from Southern France to investigate patterns of intra- and inter-individual differences across mosquito organs. Our analyses revealed a remarkable degree of intra-individual conservancy among Wolbachia genomes from distinct organs of the same mosquito both at the level of gene presence-absence signal and single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Yet, we identified several synonymous and non-synonymous substitutions between individuals, demonstrating the presence of some level of genomic heterogeneity among Wolbachia that infect the same C. pipiens field population. Overall, the absence of genetic heterogeneity within Wolbachia populations in a single individual confirms the presence of a dominant Wolbachia that is maintained under strong purifying forces of evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Blandine Trouche
- IRD, MIVEGEC, University of Montpellier, INRAE, CNRS, 34394 Montpellier, France
| | - Hans Schrieke
- IRD, MIVEGEC, University of Montpellier, INRAE, CNRS, 34394 Montpellier, France
| | - Olivier Duron
- IRD, MIVEGEC, University of Montpellier, INRAE, CNRS, 34394 Montpellier, France
| | - A Murat Eren
- Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA 02543, United States
- Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity at the University of Oldenburg, 26129 Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Julie Reveillaud
- IRD, MIVEGEC, University of Montpellier, INRAE, CNRS, 34394 Montpellier, France
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da Moura AJF, Valadas V, Da Veiga Leal S, Montalvo Sabino E, Sousa CA, Pinto J. Screening of natural Wolbachia infection in mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) from the Cape Verde islands. Parasit Vectors 2023; 16:142. [PMID: 37098535 PMCID: PMC10131387 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-023-05745-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/27/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Wolbachia pipientis is an endosymbiont bacterium that induces cytoplasmic incompatibility and inhibits arboviral replication in mosquitoes. This study aimed to assess Wolbachia prevalence and genetic diversity in different mosquito species from Cape Verde. METHODS Mosquitoes were collected on six islands of Cape Verde and identified to species using morphological keys and PCR-based assays. Wolbachia was detected by amplifying a fragment of the surface protein gene (wsp). Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) was performed with five housekeeping genes (coxA, gatB, ftsZ, hcpA, and fbpA) and the wsp hypervariable region (HVR) for strain identification. Identification of wPip groups (wPip-I to wPip-V) was performed using PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) assay on the ankyrin domain gene pk1. RESULTS Nine mosquito species were collected, including the major vectors Aedes aegypti, Anopheles arabiensis, Culex pipiens sensu stricto, and Culex quinquefasciatus. Wolbachia was only detected in Cx. pipiens s.s. (100% prevalence), Cx. quinquefasciatus (98.3%), Cx. pipiens/quinquefasciatus hybrids (100%), and Culex tigripes (100%). Based on the results of MLST and wsp hypervariable region typing, Wolbachia from the Cx. pipiens complex was assigned to sequence type 9, wPip clade, and supergroup B. PCR/RFLP analysis revealed three wPip groups in Cape Verde, namely wPip-II, wPip-III, and wPip-IV. wPip-IV was the most prevalent, while wPip-II and wPip-III were found only on Maio and Fogo islands. Wolbachia detected in Cx. tigripes belongs to supergroup B, with no attributed MLST profile, indicating a new strain of Wolbachia in this mosquito species. CONCLUSIONS A high prevalence and diversity of Wolbachia was found in species from the Cx. pipiens complex. This diversity may be related to the mosquito's colonization history on the Cape Verde islands. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to detect Wolbachia in Cx. tigripes, which may provide an additional opportunity for biocontrol initiatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aires Januário Fernandes da Moura
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine, GHTM, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, IHMT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, UNL., Rua da Junqueira 100, 1349-008, Lisboa, Portugal.
- Unidade de Ciências da Natureza, da Vida E Do Ambiente, Universidade Jean Piaget de Cabo Verde, Praia, Cape Verde.
| | - Vera Valadas
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine, GHTM, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, IHMT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, UNL., Rua da Junqueira 100, 1349-008, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Silvania Da Veiga Leal
- Laboratório de Entomologia Médica, Instituto Nacional de Saúde Pública, Praia, Cape Verde
| | - Eddyson Montalvo Sabino
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine, GHTM, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, IHMT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, UNL., Rua da Junqueira 100, 1349-008, Lisboa, Portugal
- Laboratório de Simulidos, Universidad Nacional Hermilio Valdizan, Huánuco, Peru
| | - Carla A Sousa
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine, GHTM, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, IHMT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, UNL., Rua da Junqueira 100, 1349-008, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - João Pinto
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine, GHTM, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, IHMT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, UNL., Rua da Junqueira 100, 1349-008, Lisboa, Portugal
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Transmission of the wMel Wolbachia strain is modulated by its titre and by immune genes in Drosophila melanogaster (Wolbachia density and transmission). J Invertebr Pathol 2021; 181:107591. [PMID: 33882275 DOI: 10.1016/j.jip.2021.107591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Revised: 03/21/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Wolbachia are common intracellular endosymbionts of arthropods, but the interactions between Wolbachia and arthropods are only partially understood. The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is a model insect for understanding Wolbachia-host interactions. Here the native wMel strain of D. melanogaster was isolated and then different initial titres of wMel were artificially transferred back into antibiotics-treated fruit flies. Our purpose was to examine the interactions between the injected wMel in a density gradient and the recipient host during trans-generational transmission. The results showed that the trans-generational transmission rates of wMel and titres of wMel exhibited a fluctuating trend over nine generations, and the titres of wMel displayed a similar fluctuating trans-generational trend. There was a significant positive correlation between the transmission rate and the titre of wMel. Reciprocal crossings between wMel-transinfected and uninfected fruit flies revealed that wMel could induce cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) at different initial titres, but the intensity of CI was not significantly correlated with the initial titre of wMel. Quantitative PCR analysis showed that the immune genes Drsl5 and Spn38F displayed a significant transcriptional response to wMel transfection, with an obvious negative correlation with the titre of wMel at the 3rd and 4th generations. Furthermore, RNA interference-mediated knockdown of Drsl5 and Spn38F elicited a drastic increase in the titre of wMel. In combination, our study suggests that the trans-generational transmission of wMel is modulated by its density, and the immune genes are involved in the regulation of Wolbachia density.
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Bacterial Symbionts of Tsetse Flies: Relationships and Functional Interactions Between Tsetse Flies and Their Symbionts. Results Probl Cell Differ 2021; 69:497-536. [PMID: 33263885 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-51849-3_19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2023]
Abstract
Tsetse flies (Glossina spp.) act as the sole vectors of the African trypanosome species that cause Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT or African Sleeping Sickness) and Nagana in animals. These flies have undergone a variety of specializations during their evolution including an exclusive diet consisting solely of vertebrate blood for both sexes as well as an obligate viviparous reproductive biology. Alongside these adaptations, Glossina species have developed intricate relationships with specific microbes ranging from mutualistic to parasitic. These relationships provide fundamental support required to sustain the specializations associated with tsetse's biology. This chapter provides an overview on the knowledge to date regarding the biology behind these relationships and focuses primarily on four bacterial species that are consistently associated with Glossina species. Here their interactions with the host are reviewed at the morphological, biochemical and genetic levels. This includes: the obligate symbiont Wigglesworthia, which is found in all tsetse species and is essential for nutritional supplementation to the blood-specific diet, immune system maturation and facilitation of viviparous reproduction; the commensal symbiont Sodalis, which is a frequently associated symbiont optimized for survival within the fly via nutritional adaptation, vertical transmission through mating and may alter vectorial capacity of Glossina for trypanosomes; the parasitic symbiont Wolbachia, which can manipulate Glossina via cytoplasmic incompatibility and shows unique interactions at the genetic level via horizontal transmission of its genetic material into the genome in two Glossina species; finally, knowledge on recently observed relations between Spiroplasma and Glossina is explored and potential interactions are discussed based on knowledge of interactions between this bacterial Genera and other insect species. These flies have a simple microbiome relative to that of other insects. However, these relationships are deep, well-studied and provide a window into the complexity and function of host/symbiont interactions in an important disease vector.
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Culex quinquefasciatus carrying Wolbachia is less susceptible to entomopathogenic bacteria. Sci Rep 2021; 11:1094. [PMID: 33441735 PMCID: PMC7806911 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-80034-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2020] [Accepted: 12/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
In an attempt to evaluate the susceptibility of the mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus to bacterial agents, a population naturally infected with a Wolbachia pipientis wPipSJ native strain was tested against the action of three bacterial mosquitocides, Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis, Bacillus wiedmannii biovar thuringiensis and Lysinibacillus sphaericus. Tests were carried out on mosquito larvae with and without Wolbachia (controls). Cx. quinquefasciatus naturally infected with the native wPipSJ strain proved to be more resistant to the pathogenic action of the three mosquitocidal bacterial strains. Additionally, wPipSJ was fully characterised using metagenome-assembled genomics, PCR-RFLP (PCR-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism) and MLST (MultiLocus Sequence Typing) analyses. This Wolbachia strain wPipSJ belongs to haplotype I, group wPip-III and supergroup B, clustering with other mosquito wPip strains, such as wPip PEL, wPip JHB, wPip Mol, and wAlbB; showing the southernmost distribution in America. The cytoplasmic incompatibility phenotype of this strain was revealed via crosses between wildtype (Wolbachia+) and antibiotic treated mosquito populations. The results of the tests with the bacterial agents suggest that Cx. quinquefasciatus naturally infected with wPipSJ is less susceptible to the pathogenic action of mosquitocidal bacterial strains when compared with the antibiotic-treated mosquito isoline, and is more susceptible to B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis than to the other two mosquitocidal agents.
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Shropshire JD, Leigh B, Bordenstein SR. Symbiont-mediated cytoplasmic incompatibility: what have we learned in 50 years? eLife 2020; 9:61989. [PMID: 32975515 PMCID: PMC7518888 DOI: 10.7554/elife.61989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) is the most common symbiont-induced reproductive manipulation. Specifically, symbiont-induced sperm modifications cause catastrophic mitotic defects in the fertilized embryo and ensuing lethality in crosses between symbiotic males and either aposymbiotic females or females harboring a different symbiont strain. However, if the female carries the same symbiont strain, then embryos develop properly, thereby imparting a relative fitness benefit to symbiont-transmitting mothers. Thus, CI drives maternally-transmitted bacteria to high frequencies in arthropods worldwide. In the past two decades, CI experienced a boom in interest due to its (i) deployment in worldwide efforts to curb mosquito-borne diseases, (ii) causation by bacteriophage genes, cifA and cifB, that modify sexual reproduction, and (iii) important impacts on arthropod speciation. This review serves as a gateway to experimental, conceptual, and quantitative themes of CI and outlines significant gaps in understanding CI’s mechanism that are ripe for investigation from diverse subdisciplines in the life sciences.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Dylan Shropshire
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, United States.,Vanderbilt Microbiome Initiative, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, United States
| | - Brittany Leigh
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, United States.,Vanderbilt Microbiome Initiative, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, United States
| | - Seth R Bordenstein
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, United States.,Vanderbilt Microbiome Initiative, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, United States.,Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, United States.,Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology, and Inflammation, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, United States
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Genome organisation and comparative genomics of four novel Wolbachia genome assemblies from Indian Drosophila host. Funct Integr Genomics 2019; 19:617-632. [PMID: 30798391 DOI: 10.1007/s10142-019-00664-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2017] [Revised: 11/12/2018] [Accepted: 02/04/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Wolbachia has long been known to share an endosymbiotic relationship with its host as an obligate intracellular organism. Wolbachia diversity as different supergroups is found to be host-specific in most cases except a few, where the host species is seen to accommodate multiple strains. Besides, the Wolbachia genome must have undergone several changes in response to the evolving host genome in order to adapt and establish a strong association with its host, thus making a distinctive Wolbachia-host alliance. The present study focusses on four novel genome assembly and genome-wide sequence variations of Indian Wolbachia strains, i.e. wMel and wRi isolated from two different Drosophila hosts. The genome assembly has an average size of ~ 1.1 Mb and contains ~ 1100 genes, which is comparable with the previously sequenced Wolbachia genomes. The comparative genomics analysis of these genomes and sequence-wide comparison of some functionally significant genes, i.e. ankyrin repeats, Wsp and T4SS, highlight their sequence similarities and dissimilarities, further supporting the strain-specific association of Wolbachia to its host. Interestingly, some of the sequence variations are also found to be restricted to only Indian Wolbachia strains. Further analysis of prophage and their flanking regions in the Wolbachia genome reveals the presence of several functional genes which may assist the phage to reside inside the bacterial host, thus providing a trade-off for the endosymbiont-host association. Understanding this endosymbiont genome in different eco-geographical conditions has become imperative for the recent use of Wolbachia in medical entomology as a vector-control agent.
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Scolari F, Attardo GM, Aksoy E, Weiss B, Savini G, Takac P, Abd-Alla A, Parker AG, Aksoy S, Malacrida AR. Symbiotic microbes affect the expression of male reproductive genes in Glossina m. morsitans. BMC Microbiol 2018; 18:169. [PMID: 30470198 PMCID: PMC6251095 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-018-1289-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Tsetse flies (Diptera, Glossinidae) display unique reproductive biology traits. Females reproduce through adenotrophic viviparity, nourishing the growing larva into their modified uterus until parturition. Males transfer their sperm and seminal fluid, produced by both testes and male accessory glands, in a spermatophore capsule transiently formed within the female reproductive tract upon mating. Both sexes are obligate blood feeders and have evolved tight relationships with endosymbionts, already shown to provide essential nutrients lacking in their diet. However, the partnership between tsetse and its symbionts has so far been investigated, at the molecular, genomic and metabolomics level, only in females, whereas the roles of microbiota in male reproduction are still unexplored. Results Here we begin unravelling the impact of microbiota on Glossina m. morsitans (G. morsitans) male reproductive biology by generating transcriptomes from the reproductive tissues of males deprived of their endosymbionts (aposymbiotic) via maternal antibiotic treatment and dietary supplementation. We then compared the transcriptional profiles of genes expressed in the male reproductive tract of normal and these aposymbiotic flies. We showed that microbiota removal impacts several male reproductive genes by depressing the activity of genes in the male accessory glands (MAGs), including sequences encoding seminal fluid proteins, and increasing expression of genes in the testes. In the MAGs, in particular, the expression of genes related to mating, immunity and seminal fluid components’ synthesis is reduced. In the testes, the absence of symbionts activates genes involved in the metabolic apparatus at the basis of male reproduction, including sperm production, motility and function. Conclusions Our findings mirrored the complementary roles male accessory glands and testes play in supporting male reproduction and open new avenues for disentangling the interplay between male insects and endosymbionts. From an applied perspective, unravelling the metabolic and functional relationships between tsetse symbionts and male reproductive physiology will provide fundamental information useful to understanding the biology underlying improved male reproductive success in tsetse. This information is of particular importance in the context of tsetse population control via Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) and its impact on trypanosomiasis transmission. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12866-018-1289-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Scolari
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - Geoffrey Michael Attardo
- Yale School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA.,Present Address: Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Emre Aksoy
- Yale School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Brian Weiss
- Yale School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Grazia Savini
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - Peter Takac
- Section of Molecular and Applied Zoology, Institute of Zoology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, 845 06, Bratislava, SR, Slovakia
| | - Adly Abd-Alla
- International Atomic Energy Agency, Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, IPC Laboratory, A-1400, Vienna, Austria
| | - Andrew Gordon Parker
- International Atomic Energy Agency, Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, IPC Laboratory, A-1400, Vienna, Austria
| | - Serap Aksoy
- Yale School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
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Badawi M, Moumen B, Giraud I, Grève P, Cordaux R. Investigating the Molecular Genetic Basis of Cytoplasmic Sex Determination Caused by Wolbachia Endosymbionts in Terrestrial Isopods. Genes (Basel) 2018; 9:genes9060290. [PMID: 29890648 PMCID: PMC6026926 DOI: 10.3390/genes9060290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2018] [Revised: 05/29/2018] [Accepted: 06/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
In animals, sexual differences between males and females are usually determined by sex chromosomes. Alternatively, sex may also be determined by vertically transmitted intracellular microbial endosymbionts. The best known cytoplasmic sex manipulative endosymbiont is Wolbachia which can, for instance, feminize genetic males into phenotypic females in the terrestrial isopod Armadillidium vulgare. However, the molecular genetic basis of cytoplasmic sex determination is unknown. To identify candidate genes of feminization induced by Wolbachia strain wVulC from A. vulgare, we sequenced the genome of Wolbachia strain wCon from Cylisticus convexus, the most closely related known Wolbachia strain to wVulC that does not induce feminization, and compared it to the wVulC genome. Then, we performed gene expression profiling of the 216 resulting wVulC candidate genes throughout host developmental stages in A. vulgare and the heterologous host C. convexus. We identified a set of 35 feminization candidate genes showing differential expression during host sexual development. Interestingly, 27 of the 35 genes are present in the f element, which is a piece of a feminizing Wolbachia genome horizontally transferred into the nuclear genome of A. vulgare and involved in female sex determination. Assuming that the molecular genetic basis of feminization by Wolbachia and the f element is the same, the 27 genes are candidates for acting as master sex determination genes in A. vulgare females carrying the f element.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myriam Badawi
- Laboratoire Ecologie et Biologie des Interactions, Equipe Ecologie Evolution Symbiose, Université de Poitiers, UMR CNRS 7267, Bât. B8, 5 rue Albert Turpin, TSA 51106, 86073 Poitiers CEDEX 9, France.
| | - Bouziane Moumen
- Laboratoire Ecologie et Biologie des Interactions, Equipe Ecologie Evolution Symbiose, Université de Poitiers, UMR CNRS 7267, Bât. B8, 5 rue Albert Turpin, TSA 51106, 86073 Poitiers CEDEX 9, France.
| | - Isabelle Giraud
- Laboratoire Ecologie et Biologie des Interactions, Equipe Ecologie Evolution Symbiose, Université de Poitiers, UMR CNRS 7267, Bât. B8, 5 rue Albert Turpin, TSA 51106, 86073 Poitiers CEDEX 9, France.
| | - Pierre Grève
- Laboratoire Ecologie et Biologie des Interactions, Equipe Ecologie Evolution Symbiose, Université de Poitiers, UMR CNRS 7267, Bât. B8, 5 rue Albert Turpin, TSA 51106, 86073 Poitiers CEDEX 9, France.
| | - Richard Cordaux
- Laboratoire Ecologie et Biologie des Interactions, Equipe Ecologie Evolution Symbiose, Université de Poitiers, UMR CNRS 7267, Bât. B8, 5 rue Albert Turpin, TSA 51106, 86073 Poitiers CEDEX 9, France.
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Altinli M, Gunay F, Alten B, Weill M, Sicard M. Wolbachia diversity and cytoplasmic incompatibility patterns in Culex pipiens populations in Turkey. Parasit Vectors 2018; 11:198. [PMID: 29558974 PMCID: PMC5859491 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-018-2777-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2018] [Accepted: 03/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Wolbachia are maternally transmitted bacteria that can manipulate their hosts’ reproduction causing cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI). CI is a sperm-egg incompatibility resulting in embryonic death. Due to this sterilising effect on mosquitoes, Wolbachia are considered for vector control strategies. Important vectors for arboviruses, filarial nematodes and avian malaria, mosquitoes of Culex pipiens complex are suitable for Wolbachia-based vector control. They are infected with Wolbachia wPip strains belonging to five genetically distinct groups (wPip-I to V) within the Wolbachia B supergroup. CI properties of wPip strongly correlate with this genetic diversity: mosquitoes infected with wPip strains from a different wPip group are more likely to be incompatible with each other. Turkey is a critical spot for vector-borne diseases due to its unique geographical position as a natural bridge between Asia, Europe and Africa. However, general wPip diversity, distribution and CI patterns in natural Cx. pipiens (s.l.) populations in the region are unknown. In this study, we first identified wPip diversity in Turkish Cx. pipiens (s.l.) populations, by assigning them to one of the five groups within wPip (wPip-Ito V). We further investigated CI properties between different wPip strains from this region. Results We showed a wPip fixation in Cx. pipiens (s.l.) populations in Turkey by analysing 753 samples from 59 sampling sites. Three wPip groups were detected in the region: wPip-I, wPip-II and wPip-IV. The most dominant group was wPip-II. While wPip-IV was restricted to only two locations, wPip-I and wPip-II had wider distributions. Individuals infected with wPip-II were found co-existing with individuals infected with wPip-I or wPip-IV in some sampling sites. Two mosquito isofemale lines harbouring either a wPip-I or a wPip-II strain were established from a population in northwestern Turkey. Reciprocal crosses between these lines showed that they were fully compatible with each other but bidirectionally incompatible with wPip-IV Istanbul infected line. Conclusion Our findings reveal a high diversity of wPip and CI properties in Cx. pipiens (s.l.) populations in Turkey. Knowledge on naturally occurring CI patterns caused by wPip diversity in Turkey might be useful for Cx. pipiens (s.l.) control in the region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mine Altinli
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier (CNRS-Université de Montpellier-IRD-EPHE), Montpellier, France.
| | - Filiz Gunay
- Faculty of Sciences, Department of Biology, Division of Ecology, VERG Laboratories, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Bulent Alten
- Faculty of Sciences, Department of Biology, Division of Ecology, VERG Laboratories, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Mylene Weill
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier (CNRS-Université de Montpellier-IRD-EPHE), Montpellier, France
| | - Mathieu Sicard
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier (CNRS-Université de Montpellier-IRD-EPHE), Montpellier, France.
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Bonneau M, Atyame C, Beji M, Justy F, Cohen-Gonsaud M, Sicard M, Weill M. Culex pipiens crossing type diversity is governed by an amplified and polymorphic operon of Wolbachia. Nat Commun 2018; 9:319. [PMID: 29358578 PMCID: PMC5778026 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-02749-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2017] [Accepted: 12/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Culex pipiens mosquitoes are infected with Wolbachia (wPip) that cause an important diversity of cytoplasmic incompatibilities (CIs). Functional transgenic studies have implicated the cidA-cidB operon from wPip and its homolog in wMel in CI between infected Drosophila males and uninfected females. However, the genetic basis of the CI diversity induced by different Wolbachia strains was unknown. We show here that the remarkable diversity of CI in the C. pipiens complex is due to the presence, in all tested wPip genomes, of several copies of the cidA-cidB operon, which undergoes diversification through recombination events. In 183 isofemale lines of C. pipiens collected worldwide, specific variations of the cidA-cidB gene repertoires are found to match crossing types. The diversification of cidA-cidB is consistent with the hypothesis of a toxin–antitoxin system in which the gene cidB co-diversifies with the gene cidA, particularly in putative domains of reciprocal interactions. Wolbachia causes cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) between mosquitoes infected with different strains, but the genetic basis of observed CI diversity is unknown. Here, Bonneau et al. sequence Wolbachia from over 100 Culex pipiens lines and show that crossing types match variations of the toxin-antitoxin cidA-cidB genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manon Bonneau
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier (ISEM), UMR CNRS-IRD-EPHE-Université de Montpellier, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095, Montpellier, France
| | - Celestine Atyame
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier (ISEM), UMR CNRS-IRD-EPHE-Université de Montpellier, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095, Montpellier, France.,Processus Infectieux en Milieu Insulaire Tropical (PIMIT), UMR CNRS-INSERM-IRD-Université de La Réunion, Sainte-Clotilde, Ile de La Réunion, 97490, France
| | - Marwa Beji
- Institut Pasteur Tunis, Laboratory of Epidemiology and Veterinary Microbiology, University of Tunis El Manar, 1068, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Fabienne Justy
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier (ISEM), UMR CNRS-IRD-EPHE-Université de Montpellier, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095, Montpellier, France
| | - Martin Cohen-Gonsaud
- Centre de Biochimie Structurale (CBS), UMR CNRS-INSERM-Université de Montpellier, 29 rue de Navacelles, 34090, Montpellier, France
| | - Mathieu Sicard
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier (ISEM), UMR CNRS-IRD-EPHE-Université de Montpellier, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095, Montpellier, France.
| | - Mylène Weill
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier (ISEM), UMR CNRS-IRD-EPHE-Université de Montpellier, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095, Montpellier, France.
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12
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Transcriptome Sequencing Reveals Novel Candidate Genes for Cardinium hertigii-Caused Cytoplasmic Incompatibility and Host-Cell Interaction. mSystems 2017; 2:mSystems00141-17. [PMID: 29181449 PMCID: PMC5698495 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00141-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2017] [Accepted: 10/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The majority of insects carry maternally inherited intracellular bacteria that are important in their hosts’ biology, ecology, and evolution. Some of these bacterial symbionts cause a reproductive failure known as cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI). In CI, the mating of symbiont-infected males and uninfected females produces few or no daughters. The CI symbiont then spreads and can have a significant impact on the insect host population. Cardinium, a bacterial endosymbiont of the parasitoid wasp Encarsia in the Bacteroidetes, is the only bacterial lineage known to cause CI outside the Alphaproteobacteria, where Wolbachia and another recently discovered CI symbiont reside. Here, we sought insight into the gene expression of a CI-inducing Cardinium strain in its natural host, Encarsia suzannae. Our study provides the first insights into the Cardinium transcriptome and provides support for the hypothesis that Wolbachia and Cardinium target similar host pathways with distinct and largely unrelated sets of genes. Cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) is an intriguing, widespread, symbiont-induced reproductive failure that decreases offspring production of arthropods through crossing incompatibility of infected males with uninfected females or with females infected with a distinct symbiont genotype. For years, the molecular mechanism of CI remained unknown. Recent genomic, proteomic, biochemical, and cell biological studies have contributed to understanding of CI in the alphaproteobacterium Wolbachia and implicate genes associated with the WO prophage. Besides a recently discovered additional lineage of alphaproteobacterial symbionts only moderately related to Wolbachia, Cardinium (Bacteroidetes) is the only other symbiont known to cause CI, and genomic evidence suggests that it has very little homology with Wolbachia and evolved this phenotype independently. Here, we present the first transcriptomic study of the CI Cardinium strain cEper1, in its natural host, Encarsia suzannae, to detect important CI candidates and genes involved in the insect-Cardinium symbiosis. Highly expressed transcripts included genes involved in manipulating ubiquitination, apoptosis, and host DNA. Female-biased genes encoding ribosomal proteins suggest an increase in general translational activity of Cardinium in female wasps. The results confirm previous genomic analyses that indicated that Wolbachia and Cardinium utilize different genes to induce CI, and transcriptome patterns further highlight expression of some common pathways that these bacteria use to interact with the host and potentially cause this enigmatic and fundamental manipulation of host reproduction. IMPORTANCE The majority of insects carry maternally inherited intracellular bacteria that are important in their hosts’ biology, ecology, and evolution. Some of these bacterial symbionts cause a reproductive failure known as cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI). In CI, the mating of symbiont-infected males and uninfected females produces few or no daughters. The CI symbiont then spreads and can have a significant impact on the insect host population. Cardinium, a bacterial endosymbiont of the parasitoid wasp Encarsia in the Bacteroidetes, is the only bacterial lineage known to cause CI outside the Alphaproteobacteria, where Wolbachia and another recently discovered CI symbiont reside. Here, we sought insight into the gene expression of a CI-inducing Cardinium strain in its natural host, Encarsia suzannae. Our study provides the first insights into the Cardinium transcriptome and provides support for the hypothesis that Wolbachia and Cardinium target similar host pathways with distinct and largely unrelated sets of genes.
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Caragata EP, Pais FS, Baton LA, Silva JBL, Sorgine MHF, Moreira LA. The transcriptome of the mosquito Aedes fluviatilis (Diptera: Culicidae), and transcriptional changes associated with its native Wolbachia infection. BMC Genomics 2017; 18:6. [PMID: 28049478 PMCID: PMC5210266 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-016-3441-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2016] [Accepted: 12/19/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Wolbachia is a bacterial endosymbiont that naturally infects a wide range of insect species, and causes drastic changes to host biology. Stable infections of Wolbachia in mosquitoes can inhibit infection with medically important pathogens such as dengue virus and malaria-causing Plasmodium parasites. However, some native Wolbachia strains can enhance infection with certain pathogens, as is the case for the mosquito Aedes fluviatilis, where infection with Plasmodium gallinaceum is enhanced by the native wFlu Wolbachia strain. To better understand the biological interactions between mosquitoes and native Wolbachia infections, and to investigate the process of pathogen enhancement, we used RNA-Seq to generate the transcriptome of Ae. fluviatilis with and without Wolbachia infection. Results In total, we generated 22,280,160 Illumina paired-end reads from Wolbachia-infected and uninfected mosquitoes, and used these to make a de novo transcriptome assembly, resulting in 58,013 contigs with a median sequence length of 443 bp and an N50 of 2454 bp. Contigs were annotated through local alignments using BlastX, and associated with both gene ontology and KEGG orthology terms. Through baySeq, we identified 159 contigs that were significantly upregulated due to Wolbachia infection, and 98 that were downregulated. Critically, we saw no changes to Toll or IMD immune gene transcription, but did see evidence that wFlu infection altered the expression of several bacterial recognition genes, and immune-related genes that could influence Plasmodium infection. wFlu infection also had a widespread effect on a number of host physiological processes including protein, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, and oxidative stress. We then compared our data set with transcriptomic data for other Wolbachia infections in Aedes aegypti, and identified a core set of 15 gene groups associated with Wolbachia infection in mosquitoes. Conclusions While the scale of transcriptional changes associated with wFlu infection might be small, the scope is rather large, which confirms that native Wolbachia infections maintain intricate molecular relationships with their mosquito hosts even after lengthy periods of co-evolution. We have also identified several potential means through which wFlu infection might influence Plasmodium infection in Ae. fluviatilis, and these genes should form the basis of future investigation into the enhancement of Plasmodium by Wolbachia. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-016-3441-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- E P Caragata
- Grupo Mosquitos Vetores: Endossimbiontes e Interação Patógeno Vetor, Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou - Fiocruz, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - F S Pais
- Grupo de Informática de Biossistemas e Genômica, Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou - Fiocruz, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - L A Baton
- Grupo Mosquitos Vetores: Endossimbiontes e Interação Patógeno Vetor, Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou - Fiocruz, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - J B L Silva
- Grupo Mosquitos Vetores: Endossimbiontes e Interação Patógeno Vetor, Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou - Fiocruz, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - M H F Sorgine
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - L A Moreira
- Grupo Mosquitos Vetores: Endossimbiontes e Interação Patógeno Vetor, Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou - Fiocruz, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
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Dumas E, Atyame CM, Malcolm CA, Le Goff G, Unal S, Makoundou P, Pasteur N, Weill M, Duron O. Molecular data reveal a cryptic species within the Culex pipiens mosquito complex. INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2016; 25:800-809. [PMID: 27591564 DOI: 10.1111/imb.12264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The Culex pipiens mosquito complex is a group of evolutionarily closely related species including C. pipiens and Culex quinquefasciatus, both infected by the cytoplasmically inherited Wolbachia symbiont. A Wolbachia-uninfected population of C. pipiens was however described in South Africa and was recently proposed to represent a cryptic species. In this study, we reconsidered the existence of this species by undertaking an extensive screening for the presence of Wolbachia-uninfected C. pipiens specimens and by characterizing their genetic relatedness with known members of the complex. We first report on the presence of Wolbachia-uninfected specimens in several breeding sites. We next confirm that these uninfected specimens unambiguously belong to the C. pipiens complex. Remarkably, all uninfected specimens harbour mitochondrial haplotypes that are either novel or identical to those previously found in South Africa. In all cases, these mitochondrial haplotypes are closely related, but different, to those found in other C. pipiens complex members known to be infected by Wolbachia. Altogether, these results corroborate the presence of a widespread cryptic species within the C. pipiens species complex. The potential role of this cryptic C. pipiens species in the transmission of pathogens remains however to be determined. The designation 'Culex juppi nov. sp.' is proposed for this mosquito species.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Dumas
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, Montpellier, France
| | - C M Atyame
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, Montpellier, France
- Department of Virology, Institut Pasteur, Arboviruses and Insect Vectors, Paris, France
| | - C A Malcolm
- School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, UK
| | - G Le Goff
- UMR MIVEGEC (Maladies Infectieuses et Vecteurs: Ecologie, Génétique, Evolution et Contrôle), IRD 224, CNRS 5290, Univ. Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - S Unal
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, Montpellier, France
| | - P Makoundou
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, Montpellier, France
| | - N Pasteur
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, Montpellier, France
| | - M Weill
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, Montpellier, France
| | - O Duron
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, Montpellier, France
- UMR MIVEGEC (Maladies Infectieuses et Vecteurs: Ecologie, Génétique, Evolution et Contrôle), IRD 224, CNRS 5290, Univ. Montpellier, Montpellier, France
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15
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Karami M, Moosa-Kazemi SH, Oshaghi MA, Vatandoost H, Sedaghat MM, Rajabnia R, Hosseini M, Maleki-Ravasan N, Yahyapour Y, Ferdosi-Shahandashti E. Wolbachia Endobacteria in Natural Populations of Culex pipiens of Iran and Its Phylogenetic Congruence. J Arthropod Borne Dis 2016; 10:347-63. [PMID: 27308293 PMCID: PMC4906741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2015] [Accepted: 10/03/2015] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Wolbachia are common intracellular bacteria that infect different groups of arthropods including mosquitoes. These bacteria modify host biology and may induce feminization, parthenogenesis, male killing and cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI). Recently Wolbachia is being nominated as a bio-agent and paratransgenic candidate to control mosquito borne diseases. METHODS Here we report the results of a survey for presence, frequency, and phylogenetic congruence of these endosymbiont bacteria in Culex pipiens populations in Northern, Central, and Southern parts of Iran using nested-PCR amplification of wsp gene. RESULTS Wolbachia DNA were found in 227 (87.3%) out of 260 wild-caught mosquitoes. The rate of infection in adult females ranged from 61.5% to 100%, while in males were from 80% to 100%. The Blast search and phylogenetic analysis of the wsp gene sequence revealed that the Wolbachia strain from Iranian Cx. pipiens was identical to the Wolbachia strains of supergroup B previously reported in members of the Cx. pipiens complex. They had also identical sequence homology with the Wolbachia strains from a group of distinct arthropods including lepidopteran, wasps, flies, damselfly, thrips, and mites from remote geographical areas of the world. CONCLUSION It is suggested that Wolbachia strains horizontally transfer between unrelated host organisms over evolutionary time. Also results of this study indicates that Wolbachia infections were highly prevalent infecting all Cx. pipiens populations throughout the country, however further study needs to define Wolbachia inter-population reproductive incompatibility pattern and its usefulness as a bio-agent control measure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohsen Karami
- Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Seyed Hassan Moosa-Kazemi
- Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Ali Oshaghi
- Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hasan Vatandoost
- Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Mehdi Sedaghat
- Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ramazan Rajabnia
- Infectious Diseases & Tropical Medicine Research Center, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran
| | - Mostafa Hosseini
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Naseh Maleki-Ravasan
- Malaria and Vector Research Group, Biotechnology Research Center, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Yousef Yahyapour
- Infectious Diseases & Tropical Medicine Research Center, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran
| | - Elaheh Ferdosi-Shahandashti
- Department of Advanced Technologies in Medicine (SATiM), Medical Biotechnology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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DE Pinho Mixão V, Mendes AM, Maurício IL, Calado MM, Novo MT, Belo S, Almeida APG. Molecular detection of Wolbachia pipientis in natural populations of mosquito vectors of Dirofilaria immitis from continental Portugal: first detection in Culex theileri. MEDICAL AND VETERINARY ENTOMOLOGY 2016; 30:301-309. [PMID: 27279553 DOI: 10.1111/mve.12179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2015] [Revised: 03/07/2016] [Accepted: 03/15/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Wolbachia pipientis (Rickettsiales: Rickettsiaceae) protects mosquitoes from infections with arboviruses and parasites. However, the effect of its co-infection on vector competence for Dirofilaria immitis (Spirurida: Onchocercidae) in the wild has not been investigated. This study aimed to screen vectors of D. immitis for wPip, to characterize these, and to investigate a possible association between the occurrence of W. pipientis and that of the nematode. The presence of W. pipientis was assessed in the five mosquito potential vectors of D. immitis in Portugal. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products were sequenced, and wPip haplotypes were determined by PCR-restricted fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). Results showed that wPip was detected in 61.5% of Culex pipiens (Diptera: Culicidae) pools and 6.3% of Culex theileri pools. wPip 16s rRNA sequences found in Cx. theileri exactly match those from Cx. pipiens, confirming a mosquito origin, rather than a nematode origin, as some specimens were infected with D. immitis. Only wPip haplotype I was found. No association was found between the presence of wPip and D. immitis in mosquitoes and hence a role for this endosymbiont in influencing vectorial competence is yet to be identified. This study contributes to understanding of wPip distribution in mosquito populations and, to the best of the authors' knowledge, is the first report of natural infections by wPip in Cx. theileri.
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Affiliation(s)
- V DE Pinho Mixão
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine, GHTM, UEI Medical Parasitology, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, IHMT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, UNL, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - A M Mendes
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine, GHTM, UEI Medical Parasitology, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, IHMT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, UNL, Lisbon, Portugal
- Escola Superior de Tecnologia da Saúde de Lisboa, Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - I L Maurício
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine, GHTM, UEI Medical Parasitology, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, IHMT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, UNL, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - M M Calado
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine, GHTM, UEI Medical Parasitology, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, IHMT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, UNL, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - M T Novo
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine, GHTM, UEI Medical Parasitology, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, IHMT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, UNL, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - S Belo
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine, GHTM, UEI Medical Parasitology, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, IHMT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, UNL, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - A P G Almeida
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine, GHTM, UEI Medical Parasitology, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, IHMT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, UNL, Lisbon, Portugal
- Department of Medical Virology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Zoonosis Research Unit, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
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Sun JX, Guo Y, Zhang X, Zhu WC, Chen YT, Hong XY. Effects of host interaction withWolbachiaon cytoplasmic incompatibility in the two-spotted spider miteTetranychus urticae. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/bij.12804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jian-Xin Sun
- Department of Entomology; Nanjing Agricultural University; No.1, Weigang Nanjing Jiangsu 210095 China
| | - Yan Guo
- Department of Entomology; Nanjing Agricultural University; No.1, Weigang Nanjing Jiangsu 210095 China
| | - Xu Zhang
- Department of Entomology; Nanjing Agricultural University; No.1, Weigang Nanjing Jiangsu 210095 China
| | - Wen-Chao Zhu
- Department of Entomology; Nanjing Agricultural University; No.1, Weigang Nanjing Jiangsu 210095 China
| | - Ya-Ting Chen
- Department of Entomology; Nanjing Agricultural University; No.1, Weigang Nanjing Jiangsu 210095 China
| | - Xiao-Yue Hong
- Department of Entomology; Nanjing Agricultural University; No.1, Weigang Nanjing Jiangsu 210095 China
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Correa CC, Ballard JWO. Wolbachia Associations with Insects: Winning or Losing Against a Master Manipulator. Front Ecol Evol 2016. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2015.00153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Atyame CM, Labbé P, Lebon C, Weill M, Moretti R, Marini F, Gouagna LC, Calvitti M, Tortosa P. Comparison of Irradiation and Wolbachia Based Approaches for Sterile-Male Strategies Targeting Aedes albopictus. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0146834. [PMID: 26765951 PMCID: PMC4713058 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0146834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2015] [Accepted: 12/21/2015] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The global expansion of Aedes albopictus together with the absence of vaccines for most of the arboviruses transmitted by this mosquito has stimulated the development of sterile-male strategies aiming at controlling disease transmission through the suppression of natural vector populations. In this context, two environmentally friendly control strategies, namely the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) and the Wolbachia-based Incompatible Insect Technique (IIT) are currently being developed in several laboratories worldwide. So far however, there is a lack of comparative assessment of these strategies under the same controlled conditions. Here, we compared the mating capacities, i.e. insemination capacity, sterilization capacity and mating competitiveness of irradiated (35 Gy) and incompatible Ae. albopictus males at different ages and ratios under laboratory controlled conditions. Our data show that there was no significant difference in insemination capacity of irradiated and incompatible males, both male types showing lower capacities than untreated males at 1 day but recovering full capacity within 5 days following emergence. Regarding mating competitiveness trials, a global observed trend is that incompatible males tend to induce a lower hatching rate than irradiated males in cage controlled confrontations. More specifically, incompatible males were found more competitive than irradiated males in 5:1 ratio regardless of age, while irradiated males were only found more competitive than incompatible males in the 1:1 ratio at 10 days old. Overall, under the tested conditions, IIT seemed to be slightly more effective than SIT. However, considering that a single strategy will likely not be adapted to all environments, our data stimulates the need for comparative assessments of distinct strategies in up-scaled conditions in order to identify the most suitable and safe sterilizing technology to be implemented in a specific environmental setting and to identify the parameters requiring fine tuning in order to reach optimal release conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Célestine M. Atyame
- CRVOI, Ste Clotilde, Plateforme de Recherche CYROI, Réunion Island, France
- Unité Mixte de Recherche «Processus Infectieux en Milieu Insulaire Tropical (UMR PIMIT)», INSERM 1187, CNRS 9192, IRD 249, Université de La Réunion. Plateforme de Recherche CYROI. Ste Clotilde, Réunion Island, France
- * E-mail:
| | - Pierrick Labbé
- CNRS, IRD, ISEM - UMR 5554, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Cyrille Lebon
- CRVOI, Ste Clotilde, Plateforme de Recherche CYROI, Réunion Island, France
- Unité Mixte de Recherche MIVEGEC (IRD 224, CNRS 5290, UM1-UM2), Montpellier, France
| | - Mylène Weill
- CNRS, IRD, ISEM - UMR 5554, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Riccardo Moretti
- ENEA, CR Casaccia, Biotecnologies and Agro-industry Division, Roma, Italy
| | - Francesca Marini
- ENEA, CR Casaccia, Biotecnologies and Agro-industry Division, Roma, Italy
| | - Louis Clément Gouagna
- CRVOI, Ste Clotilde, Plateforme de Recherche CYROI, Réunion Island, France
- Unité Mixte de Recherche MIVEGEC (IRD 224, CNRS 5290, UM1-UM2), Montpellier, France
| | - Maurizio Calvitti
- ENEA, CR Casaccia, Biotecnologies and Agro-industry Division, Roma, Italy
| | - Pablo Tortosa
- CRVOI, Ste Clotilde, Plateforme de Recherche CYROI, Réunion Island, France
- Unité Mixte de Recherche «Processus Infectieux en Milieu Insulaire Tropical (UMR PIMIT)», INSERM 1187, CNRS 9192, IRD 249, Université de La Réunion. Plateforme de Recherche CYROI. Ste Clotilde, Réunion Island, France
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Dynamics of Wolbachia pipientis Gene Expression Across the Drosophila melanogaster Life Cycle. G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS 2015; 5:2843-56. [PMID: 26497146 PMCID: PMC4683655 DOI: 10.1534/g3.115.021931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Symbiotic interactions between microbes and their multicellular hosts have manifold biological consequences. To better understand how bacteria maintain symbiotic associations with animal hosts, we analyzed genome-wide gene expression for the endosymbiotic α-proteobacteria Wolbachia pipientis across the entire life cycle of Drosophila melanogaster. We found that the majority of Wolbachia genes are expressed stably across the D. melanogaster life cycle, but that 7.8% of Wolbachia genes exhibit robust stage- or sex-specific expression differences when studied in the whole-organism context. Differentially-expressed Wolbachia genes are typically up-regulated after Drosophila embryogenesis and include many bacterial membrane, secretion system, and ankyrin repeat-containing proteins. Sex-biased genes are often organized as small operons of uncharacterized genes and are mainly up-regulated in adult Drosophila males in an age-dependent manner. We also systematically investigated expression levels of previously-reported candidate genes thought to be involved in host-microbe interaction, including those in the WO-A and WO-B prophages and in the Octomom region, which has been implicated in regulating bacterial titer and pathogenicity. Our work provides comprehensive insight into the developmental dynamics of gene expression for a widespread endosymbiont in its natural host context, and shows that public gene expression data harbor rich resources to probe the functional basis of the Wolbachia-Drosophila symbiosis and annotate the transcriptional outputs of the Wolbachia genome.
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Atyame CM, Cattel J, Lebon C, Flores O, Dehecq JS, Weill M, Gouagna LC, Tortosa P. Wolbachia-based population control strategy targeting Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes proves efficient under semi-field conditions. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0119288. [PMID: 25768841 PMCID: PMC4359102 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0119288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2014] [Accepted: 01/12/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In mosquitoes, the maternally inherited bacterial Wolbachia induce a form of embryonic lethality called cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI). This property can be used to reduce the density of mosquito field populations through inundative releases of incompatible males in order to sterilize females (Incompatible Insect Technique, or IIT, strategy). We have previously constructed the LR[wPip(Is)] line representing a good candidate for controlling field populations of the Culex quinquefasciatus mosquito in the islands of the south-western Indian Ocean. The main purpose of the present study was to fill the gap between laboratory experiments and field implementation, i.e. assessing mating competitiveness of these incompatible males under semi-field conditions. In a first set of experiments, we analyzed crossing relationships between LR[wPip(Is)] males and La Réunion field females collected as larvae in 19 distinct localities throughout the island. This investigation revealed total embryonic mortality, confirming the strong sterilizing capacity of LR[wPip(Is)] males. Subsequently, mating competitiveness of LR[wPip(Is)] males was assessed under semi-field conditions in the presence of field males and females from La Réunion. Confrontations were carried out in April and December using different ratios of LR[wPip(Is)] to field males. The results indicated that the LR[wPip(Is)] males successfully compete with field males in mating with field females, displaying even higher competitiveness than field males in April. Our results support the implementation of small-scale field tests in order to assess the feasibility of IIT against Cx. quinquefasciatus in the islands of southwestern Indian Ocean where this mosquito species is a proven competent vector for human pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Célestine M. Atyame
- CRVOI, Ste Clotilde, Réunion Island, France
- University La Réunion, Réunion Island, France
- * E-mail:
| | - Julien Cattel
- CRVOI, Ste Clotilde, Réunion Island, France
- University La Réunion, Réunion Island, France
| | - Cyrille Lebon
- CRVOI, Ste Clotilde, Réunion Island, France
- MIVEGEC—UMR 5290-224, CNRS-IRD-UM1-UM2, Montpellier, France
| | - Olivier Flores
- University La Réunion, Réunion Island, France
- UMR PVBMT, CIRAD, St Pierre, Réunion Island, France
| | | | | | - Louis Clément Gouagna
- CRVOI, Ste Clotilde, Réunion Island, France
- MIVEGEC—UMR 5290-224, CNRS-IRD-UM1-UM2, Montpellier, France
| | - Pablo Tortosa
- CRVOI, Ste Clotilde, Réunion Island, France
- University La Réunion, Réunion Island, France
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22
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Atyame CM, Labbé P, Rousset F, Beji M, Makoundou P, Duron O, Dumas E, Pasteur N, Bouattour A, Fort P, Weill M. Stable coexistence of incompatible Wolbachia along a narrow contact zone in mosquito field populations. Mol Ecol 2015; 24:508-21. [PMID: 25482270 DOI: 10.1111/mec.13035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2014] [Revised: 12/02/2014] [Accepted: 12/03/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
In arthropods, the intracellular bacteria Wolbachia often induce cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) between sperm and egg, which causes conditional embryonic death and promotes the spatial spread of Wolbachia infections into host populations. The ability of Wolbachia to spread in natural populations through CI has attracted attention for using these bacteria in vector-borne disease control. The dynamics of incompatible Wolbachia infections have been deeply investigated theoretically, whereas in natural populations, there are only few examples described, especially among incompatible infected hosts. Here, we have surveyed the distribution of two molecular Wolbachia strains (wPip11 and wPip31) infecting the mosquito Culex pipiens in Tunisia. We delineated a clear spatial structure of both infections, with a sharp contact zone separating their distribution areas. Crossing experiments with isofemale lines from different localities showed three crossing types: wPip11-infected males always sterilize wPip31-infected females; however, while most wPip31-infected males were compatible with wPip11-infected females, a few completely sterilize them. The wPip11 strain was thus expected to spread, but temporal dynamics over 7 years of monitoring shows the stability of the contact zone. We examined which factors may contribute to the observed stability, both theoretically and empirically. Population cage experiments, field samples and modelling did not support significant impacts of local adaptation or assortative mating on the stability of wPip infection structure. By contrast, low dispersal probability and metapopulation dynamics in the host Cx. pipiens probably play major roles. This study highlights the need of understanding CI dynamics in natural populations to design effective and sustainable Wolbachia-based control strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Célestine M Atyame
- CNRS, ISEM-UMR 5554, Montpellier, France; University La Réunion/CRVOI, Ste Clotilde, Réunion Island, France; University Montpellier 2, Montpellier, France
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23
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Sicard M, Dittmer J, Grève P, Bouchon D, Braquart-Varnier C. A host as an ecosystem:Wolbachiacoping with environmental constraints. Environ Microbiol 2014; 16:3583-607. [DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.12573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2014] [Accepted: 07/17/2014] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mathieu Sicard
- Institut des Sciences de l'Évolution; UMR CNRS 5554; Équipe Génomique de l'adaptation; Université Montpellier 2; Place Eugène Bataillon Montpellier Cedex 05 F-34095 France
- Laboratoire Écologie et Biologie des Interactions; UMR CNRS 7267; Équipe Écologie Évolution Symbiose; Université de Poitiers; 5, Rue Albert Turpin Poitiers Cedex 9 F-86073 France
| | - Jessica Dittmer
- Laboratoire Écologie et Biologie des Interactions; UMR CNRS 7267; Équipe Écologie Évolution Symbiose; Université de Poitiers; 5, Rue Albert Turpin Poitiers Cedex 9 F-86073 France
| | - Pierre Grève
- Laboratoire Écologie et Biologie des Interactions; UMR CNRS 7267; Équipe Écologie Évolution Symbiose; Université de Poitiers; 5, Rue Albert Turpin Poitiers Cedex 9 F-86073 France
| | - Didier Bouchon
- Laboratoire Écologie et Biologie des Interactions; UMR CNRS 7267; Équipe Écologie Évolution Symbiose; Université de Poitiers; 5, Rue Albert Turpin Poitiers Cedex 9 F-86073 France
| | - Christine Braquart-Varnier
- Laboratoire Écologie et Biologie des Interactions; UMR CNRS 7267; Équipe Écologie Évolution Symbiose; Université de Poitiers; 5, Rue Albert Turpin Poitiers Cedex 9 F-86073 France
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24
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Brelsfoard C, Tsiamis G, Falchetto M, Gomulski LM, Telleria E, Alam U, Doudoumis V, Scolari F, Benoit JB, Swain M, Takac P, Malacrida AR, Bourtzis K, Aksoy S. Presence of extensive Wolbachia symbiont insertions discovered in the genome of its host Glossina morsitans morsitans. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2014; 8:e2728. [PMID: 24763283 PMCID: PMC3998919 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0002728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2013] [Accepted: 01/20/2014] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Tsetse flies (Glossina spp.) are the cyclical vectors of Trypanosoma spp., which are unicellular parasites responsible for multiple diseases, including nagana in livestock and sleeping sickness in humans in Africa. Glossina species, including Glossina morsitans morsitans (Gmm), for which the Whole Genome Sequence (WGS) is now available, have established symbiotic associations with three endosymbionts: Wigglesworthia glossinidia, Sodalis glossinidius and Wolbachia pipientis (Wolbachia). The presence of Wolbachia in both natural and laboratory populations of Glossina species, including the presence of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) events in a laboratory colony of Gmm, has already been shown. We herein report on the draft genome sequence of the cytoplasmic Wolbachia endosymbiont (cytWol) associated with Gmm. By in silico and molecular and cytogenetic analysis, we discovered and validated the presence of multiple insertions of Wolbachia (chrWol) in the host Gmm genome. We identified at least two large insertions of chrWol, 527,507 and 484,123 bp in size, from Gmm WGS data. Southern hybridizations confirmed the presence of Wolbachia insertions in Gmm genome, and FISH revealed multiple insertions located on the two sex chromosomes (X and Y), as well as on the supernumerary B-chromosomes. We compare the chrWol insertions to the cytWol draft genome in an attempt to clarify the evolutionary history of the HGT events. We discuss our findings in light of the evolution of Wolbachia infections in the tsetse fly and their potential impacts on the control of tsetse populations and trypanosomiasis. African trypanosomes are transmitted to man and animals by tsetse fly, a blood sucking insect. Tsetse flies include all Glossina species with the genome of Glossina morsitans morsitans (Gmm) being sequenced under the International Glossina Genome Initiative. The endosymbionts Wigglesworthia glossinidia, Sodalis glossinidius and Wolbachia pipientis (Wolbachia) have been found to establish symbiotic associations with Gmm. Wolbachia is known to be present in natural and laboratory populations of Glossina species. In this study we report the genome sequence of the Wolbachia strain that is associated with Gmm. With the aid of in silico and molecular and cytogenetic analyses, multiple insertions of the Wolbachia genome were revealed and confirmed in Gmm chromosome. Comparison of the cytoplasmic Wolbachia draft genome and the chromosomal insertions enabled us to infer the evolutionary history of the Wolbachia horizontal transfer events. These findings are discussed in relation to their impact on the development of Wolbachia-based strategies for the control of tsetse flies and trypanosomiasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corey Brelsfoard
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
- Department of Natural Sciences, St. Catharine College, St. Catharine, Kentucky, United States of America
| | - George Tsiamis
- Department of Environmental and Natural Resources Management, University of Patras, Agrinio, Greece
| | - Marco Falchetto
- Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie, Università di Pavia, Pavia, Italia
| | - Ludvik M. Gomulski
- Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie, Università di Pavia, Pavia, Italia
| | - Erich Telleria
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Uzma Alam
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Vangelis Doudoumis
- Department of Environmental and Natural Resources Management, University of Patras, Agrinio, Greece
| | - Francesca Scolari
- Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie, Università di Pavia, Pavia, Italia
| | - Joshua B. Benoit
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
- Department of Biological Sciences, McMicken College of Arts and Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Martin Swain
- Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Penglais, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, United Kingdom
| | - Peter Takac
- Institute of Zoology, Section of Molecular and Applied Zoology, Slovak Academy of Science, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Anna R. Malacrida
- Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie, Università di Pavia, Pavia, Italia
| | - Kostas Bourtzis
- Department of Environmental and Natural Resources Management, University of Patras, Agrinio, Greece
- Biomedical Sciences Research Center Al. Fleming, Vari, Greece
- Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, Vienna, Austria
- * E-mail: (KB); (SA)
| | - Serap Aksoy
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
- * E-mail: (KB); (SA)
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25
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Bourtzis K, Dobson SL, Xi Z, Rasgon JL, Calvitti M, Moreira LA, Bossin HC, Moretti R, Baton LA, Hughes GL, Mavingui P, Gilles JRL. Harnessing mosquito-Wolbachia symbiosis for vector and disease control. Acta Trop 2014; 132 Suppl:S150-63. [PMID: 24252486 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2013.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 213] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2013] [Revised: 11/01/2013] [Accepted: 11/09/2013] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Mosquito species, members of the genera Aedes, Anopheles and Culex, are the major vectors of human pathogens including protozoa (Plasmodium sp.), filariae and of a variety of viruses (causing dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever, West Nile). There is lack of efficient methods and tools to treat many of the diseases caused by these major human pathogens, since no efficient vaccines or drugs are available; even in malaria where insecticide use and drug therapies have reduced incidence, 219 million cases still occurred in 2010. Therefore efforts are currently focused on the control of vector populations. Insecticides alone are insufficient to control mosquito populations since reduced susceptibility and even resistance is being observed more and more frequently. There is also increased concern about the toxic effects of insecticides on non-target (even beneficial) insect populations, on humans and the environment. During recent years, the role of symbionts in the biology, ecology and evolution of insect species has been well-documented and has led to suggestions that they could potentially be used as tools to control pests and therefore diseases. Wolbachia is perhaps the most renowned insect symbiont, mainly due to its ability to manipulate insect reproduction and to interfere with major human pathogens thus providing new avenues for pest control. We herein present recent achievements in the field of mosquito-Wolbachia symbiosis with an emphasis on Aedes albopictus. We also discuss how Wolbachia symbiosis can be harnessed for vector control as well as the potential to combine the sterile insect technique and Wolbachia-based approaches for the enhancement of population suppression programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kostas Bourtzis
- Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Programme of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, Wagrammerstrasse 5, Vienna 1220, Austria.
| | - Stephen L Dobson
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
| | - Zhiyong Xi
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
| | - Jason L Rasgon
- The Department of Entomology, Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics and Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
| | - Maurizio Calvitti
- UTAGRI-ECO, CR ENEA (Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development), Rome, Italy.
| | - Luciano A Moreira
- Laboratório de Malária, Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou, FIOCRUZ Minas, Avenida Augusto de Lima, 1715, Barro Preto, CEP 30190-002 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
| | - Hervé C Bossin
- Unit of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Institut Louis Malardé, Tahiti, BP 30-98713 Papeete, French Polynesia.
| | - Riccardo Moretti
- UTAGRI-ECO, CR ENEA (Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development), Rome, Italy.
| | - Luke Anthony Baton
- Laboratório de Malária, Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou, FIOCRUZ Minas, Avenida Augusto de Lima, 1715, Barro Preto, CEP 30190-002 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
| | - Grant L Hughes
- The Department of Entomology, Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics and Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
| | - Patrick Mavingui
- Université de Lyon, UMR 5557 CNRS, USC INRA 1364, VetAgro Sup, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, 69622 Villeurbanne Cedex, France.
| | - Jeremie R L Gilles
- Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Programme of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, Wagrammerstrasse 5, Vienna 1220, Austria.
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26
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Atyame CM, Labbé P, Dumas E, Milesi P, Charlat S, Fort P, Weill M. Wolbachia divergence and the evolution of cytoplasmic incompatibility in Culex pipiens. PLoS One 2014; 9:e87336. [PMID: 24498078 PMCID: PMC3909092 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0087336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2013] [Accepted: 12/20/2013] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Many insect species harbor Wolbachia bacteria that induce cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), i.e. embryonic lethality in crosses between infected males and uninfected females, or between males and females carrying incompatible Wolbachia strains. The molecular mechanism of CI remains unknown, but the available data are best interpreted under a modification-rescue model, where a mod function disables the reproductive success of infected males' sperm, unless the eggs are infected and express a compatible resc function. Here we examine the evolution of CI in the mosquito Culex pipiens, harbouring a large number of closely related Wolbachia strains structured in five distinct phylogenetic groups. Specifically, we used a worldwide sample of mosquito lines to assess the hypothesis that genetic divergence should correlate with the divergence of CI properties on a low evolutionary scale. We observed a significant association of Wolbachia genetic divergence with CI patterns. Most Wolbachia strains from the same group were compatible whereas those from different groups were often incompatible. Consistently, we found a strong association between Wolbachia groups and their mod-resc properties. Finally, lines from the same geographical area were rarely incompatible, confirming the conjecture that the spatial distribution of Wolbachia compatibility types should be constrained by selection. This study indicates a clear correlation between Wolbachia genotypes and CI properties, paving the way toward the identification of the molecular basis of CI through comparative genomics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Célestine M. Atyame
- CNRS, University Montpellier 2, ISEM - UMR 5554, Montpellier, France
- * E-mail:
| | - Pierrick Labbé
- CNRS, University Montpellier 2, ISEM - UMR 5554, Montpellier, France
| | - Emilie Dumas
- CNRS, University Montpellier 2, ISEM - UMR 5554, Montpellier, France
| | - Pascal Milesi
- CNRS, University Montpellier 2, ISEM - UMR 5554, Montpellier, France
| | - Sylvain Charlat
- CNRS, University Lyon 1, LBBE - UMR 5558, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Philippe Fort
- CNRS, University Montpellier 2, CRBM - UMR 5237, Montpellier, France
| | - Mylène Weill
- CNRS, University Montpellier 2, ISEM - UMR 5554, Montpellier, France
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27
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Nor I, Engelstädter J, Duron O, Reuter M, Sagot MF, Charlat S. On the genetic architecture of cytoplasmic incompatibility: inference from phenotypic data. Am Nat 2013; 182:E15-24. [PMID: 23778233 DOI: 10.1086/670612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Numerous insects carry intracellular bacteria that manipulate the insects' reproduction and thus facilitate their own spread. Cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) is a common form of such manipulation, where a (currently uncharacterized) bacterial modification of male sperm induces the early death of embryos unless the fertilized eggs carry the same bacteria, inherited from the mother. The death of uninfected embryos provides an indirect selective advantage to infected ones, thus enabling the spread of the bacteria. Here we use and expand recently developed algorithms to infer the genetic architecture underlying the complex incompatibility data from the mosquito Culex pipiens. We show that CI requires more genetic determinants than previously believed and that quantitative variation in gene products potentially contributes to the observed CI patterns. In line with population genetic theory of CI, our analysis suggests that toxin factors (those inducing embryo death) are present in fewer copies in the bacterial genomes than antitoxin factors (those ensuring that infected embryos survive). In combination with comparative genomics, our approach will provide helpful guidance to identify the genetic basis of CI and more generally of other toxin/antitoxin systems that can be conceptualized under the same framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- Igor Nor
- Laboratoire Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Lyon 1, Bâtiment Mendel, 43 boulevard du 11 novembre, 69622 Villeurbanne, France
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28
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Dumas E, Atyame CM, Milesi P, Fonseca DM, Shaikevich EV, Unal S, Makoundou P, Weill M, Duron O. Population structure of Wolbachia and cytoplasmic introgression in a complex of mosquito species. BMC Evol Biol 2013; 13:181. [PMID: 24006922 PMCID: PMC3846486 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2148-13-181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2013] [Accepted: 08/28/2013] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The maternally inherited bacterium Wolbachia often acts as a subtle parasite that manipulates insect reproduction, resulting potentially in reproductive isolation between host populations. Whilst distinct Wolbachia strains are documented in a group of evolutionarily closely related mosquitoes known as the Culex pipiens complex, their impact on mosquito population genetics remains unclear. To this aim, we developed a PCR-RFLP test that discriminates the five known Wolbachia groups found in this host complex. We further examined the Wolbachia genetic diversity, the variability in the coinherited host mitochondria and their partitioning among members of the Cx. pipiens complex, in order to assess the impact of Wolbachia on host population structure. Results There was a strong association between Wolbachia and mitochondrial haplotypes indicating a stable co-transmission in mosquito populations. Despite evidence that members of the Cx. pipiens complex are genetically distinct on the basis of nuclear DNA, the association of Wolbachia and mtDNA with members of the Cx. pipiens complex were limited. The Wolbachia wPip-I group, by far the most common, was associated with divergent Cx. pipiens members, including Cx. quinquefasciatus, Cx. pipiens pipiens form pipiens and Cx. pipiens pipiens form molestus. Four other wPip groups were also found in mosquito populations and all were shared between diverse Cx. pipiens members. Conclusion This data overall supports the hypothesis that wPip infections, and their allied mitochondria, are associated with regular transfers between Cx. pipiens members rather than specific host associations. Overall, this is suggestive of a recent and likely ongoing cytoplasmic introgression through hybridization events across the Cx. pipiens complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilie Dumas
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution, UMR5554 CNRS, Université Montpellier 2, 34095 Montpellier cedex 05, France.
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29
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Wolbachia: Can we save lives with a great pandemic? Trends Parasitol 2013; 29:385-93. [PMID: 23845310 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2013.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2013] [Revised: 06/07/2013] [Accepted: 06/10/2013] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Wolbachia pipientis is the most common bacterial infection in the animal world and wields a vast influence on invertebrate reproduction, sex determination, speciation, and behavior worldwide. These avenues of research have made seminal gains, including the latest use of Wolbachia to alter mosquito populations and a strengthened focus on using anti-Wolbachia therapies against filarial nematode infections. This work is further bolstered by a more refined knowledge of Wolbachia biology spanning mechanisms to relevance. Here we tally the most up-to-date knowledge in the field and review the immense implications that this global infection has for the basic and applied life sciences.
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Siozios S, Ioannidis P, Klasson L, Andersson SGE, Braig HR, Bourtzis K. The diversity and evolution of Wolbachia ankyrin repeat domain genes. PLoS One 2013; 8:e55390. [PMID: 23390535 PMCID: PMC3563639 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0055390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2012] [Accepted: 12/21/2012] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Ankyrin repeat domain-encoding genes are common in the eukaryotic and viral domains of life, but they are rare in bacteria, the exception being a few obligate or facultative intracellular Proteobacteria species. Despite having a reduced genome, the arthropod strains of the alphaproteobacterium Wolbachia contain an unusually high number of ankyrin repeat domain-encoding genes ranging from 23 in wMel to 60 in wPip strain. This group of genes has attracted considerable attention for their astonishing large number as well as for the fact that ankyrin proteins are known to participate in protein-protein interactions, suggesting that they play a critical role in the molecular mechanism that determines host-Wolbachia symbiotic interactions. We present a comparative evolutionary analysis of the wMel-related ankyrin repeat domain-encoding genes present in different Drosophila-Wolbachia associations. Our results show that the ankyrin repeat domain-encoding genes change in size by expansion and contraction mediated by short directly repeated sequences. We provide examples of intra-genic recombination events and show that these genes are likely to be horizontally transferred between strains with the aid of bacteriophages. These results confirm previous findings that the Wolbachia genomes are evolutionary mosaics and illustrate the potential that these bacteria have to generate diversity in proteins potentially involved in the symbiotic interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefanos Siozios
- Department of Environmental and Natural Resources Management, University of Western Greece, Agrinio, Greece
| | - Panagiotis Ioannidis
- Department of Environmental and Natural Resources Management, University of Western Greece, Agrinio, Greece
| | - Lisa Klasson
- Department of Molecular Evolution, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | | | - Henk R. Braig
- School of Biological Sciences Bangor University, Bangor Gwynedd, United Kingdom
| | - Kostas Bourtzis
- Department of Environmental and Natural Resources Management, University of Western Greece, Agrinio, Greece
- Biomedical Sciences Research Center Al. Fleming, Vari, Greece
- Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, Vienna, Austria
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31
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Chen L, Zhu C, Zhang D. Naturally occurring incompatibilities between different Culex pipiens pallens populations as the basis of potential mosquito control measures. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2013; 7:e2030. [PMID: 23383354 PMCID: PMC3561155 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0002030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2012] [Accepted: 12/08/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Vector-borne diseases remain a threat to public health, especially in tropical countries. The incompatible insect technique has been explored as a potential control strategy for several important insect vectors. However, this strategy has not been tested in Culex pipiens pallens, the most prevalent mosquito species in China. Previous works used introgression to generate new strains that matched the genetic backgrounds of target populations while harboring a new Wolbachia endosymbiont, resulting in mating competitiveness and cytoplasmic incompatibility. The generation of these incompatible insects is often time-consuming, and the long-term stability of the newly created insect-Wolbachia symbiosis is uncertain. Considering the wide distribution of Cx. pipiens pallens and hence possible isolation of different populations, we sought to test for incompatibilities between natural populations and the possibility of exploiting these incompatibilities as a control strategy. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Three field populations were collected from three geographic locations in eastern China. Reciprocal cross results showed that bi-directional patterns of incompatibility existed between some populations. Mating competition experiments indicated that incompatible males could compete with cognate males in mating with females, leading to reduced overall fecundity. F1 offspring from incompatible crosses maintained their maternal crossing types. All three populations tested positive for Wolbachia. Removal of Wolbachia by tetracycline rendered matings between these populations fully compatible. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE Our findings indicate that naturally occurring patterns of cytoplasmic incompatibility between Cx. pipiens pallens populations can be the basis of a control strategy for this important vector species. The observed incompatibilities are caused by Wolbachia. More tests including field trials are warranted to evaluate the feasibility of this strategy as a supplement to other control measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Chen
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, P. R. China
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Modern Pathogen Biology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, P. R. China
| | - Changliang Zhu
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, P. R. China
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Modern Pathogen Biology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, P. R. China
| | - Donghui Zhang
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, P. R. China
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Modern Pathogen Biology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, P. R. China
- * E-mail:
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Saha S, Hunter WB, Reese J, Morgan JK, Marutani-Hert M, Huang H, Lindeberg M. Survey of endosymbionts in the Diaphorina citri metagenome and assembly of a Wolbachia wDi draft genome. PLoS One 2012; 7:e50067. [PMID: 23166822 PMCID: PMC3500351 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0050067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2012] [Accepted: 10/17/2012] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Diaphorina citri (Hemiptera: Psyllidae), the Asian citrus psyllid, is the insect vector of Ca. Liberibacter asiaticus, the causal agent of citrus greening disease. Sequencing of the D. citri metagenome has been initiated to gain better understanding of the biology of this organism and the potential roles of its bacterial endosymbionts. To corroborate candidate endosymbionts previously identified by rDNA amplification, raw reads from the D. citri metagenome sequence were mapped to reference genome sequences. Results of the read mapping provided the most support for Wolbachia and an enteric bacterium most similar to Salmonella. Wolbachia-derived reads were extracted using the complete genome sequences for four Wolbachia strains. Reads were assembled into a draft genome sequence, and the annotation assessed for the presence of features potentially involved in host interaction. Genome alignment with the complete sequences reveals membership of Wolbachia wDi in supergroup B, further supported by phylogenetic analysis of FtsZ. FtsZ and Wsp phylogenies additionally indicate that the Wolbachia strain in the Florida D. citri isolate falls into a sub-clade of supergroup B, distinct from Wolbachia present in Chinese D. citri isolates, supporting the hypothesis that the D. citri introduced into Florida did not originate from China.
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Affiliation(s)
- Surya Saha
- Department of Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
| | - Wayne B. Hunter
- USDA-ARS, U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory, Fort Pierce, Florida, United States of America
| | - Justin Reese
- Genformatic, LLC., Alpharetta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - J. Kent Morgan
- USDA-ARS, U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory, Fort Pierce, Florida, United States of America
| | - Mizuri Marutani-Hert
- USDA-ARS, U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory, Fort Pierce, Florida, United States of America
| | - Hong Huang
- School of Information, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States of America
| | - Magdalen Lindeberg
- Department of Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
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Comparative genomics suggests an independent origin of cytoplasmic incompatibility in Cardinium hertigii. PLoS Genet 2012; 8:e1003012. [PMID: 23133394 PMCID: PMC3486910 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1003012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2012] [Accepted: 08/22/2012] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Terrestrial arthropods are commonly infected with maternally inherited bacterial symbionts that cause cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI). In CI, the outcome of crosses between symbiont-infected males and uninfected females is reproductive failure, increasing the relative fitness of infected females and leading to spread of the symbiont in the host population. CI symbionts have profound impacts on host genetic structure and ecology and may lead to speciation and the rapid evolution of sex determination systems. Cardinium hertigii, a member of the Bacteroidetes and symbiont of the parasitic wasp Encarsia pergandiella, is the only known bacterium other than the Alphaproteobacteria Wolbachia to cause CI. Here we report the genome sequence of Cardinium hertigii cEper1. Comparison with the genomes of CI–inducing Wolbachia pipientis strains wMel, wRi, and wPip provides a unique opportunity to pinpoint shared proteins mediating host cell interaction, including some candidate proteins for CI that have not previously been investigated. The genome of Cardinium lacks all major biosynthetic pathways but harbors a complete biotin biosynthesis pathway, suggesting a potential role for Cardinium in host nutrition. Cardinium lacks known protein secretion systems but encodes a putative phage-derived secretion system distantly related to the antifeeding prophage of the entomopathogen Serratia entomophila. Lastly, while Cardinium and Wolbachia genomes show only a functional overlap of proteins, they show no evidence of laterally transferred elements that would suggest common ancestry of CI in both lineages. Instead, comparative genomics suggests an independent evolution of CI in Cardinium and Wolbachia and provides a novel context for understanding the mechanistic basis of CI. Many arthropods are infected with bacterial symbionts that are maternally transmitted and have a great impact on their hosts' biology, ecology, and evolution. One of the most common phenotypes of facultative symbionts appears to be cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), a type of reproductive failure in which bacteria in males modify sperm in a way that reduces the reproductive success of uninfected female mates. In spite of considerable interest, the genetic basis for CI is largely unknown. Cardinium hertigii, a symbiont of tiny parasitic wasps, is the only bacterial group other than the well-studied Wolbachia that is known to cause CI. Analysis of the Cardinium genome indicates that CI evolved independently in Wolbachia and Cardinium. However, a suite of shared proteins was likely involved in mediating host cell interactions, and CI shows functional overlap in both lineages. Our analysis suggests the presence of an unusual phage-derived, putative secretion system and reveals that Cardinium encodes biosynthetic pathways that suggest a potential role in host nutrition. Our findings provide a novel comparative context for understanding the mechanistic basis of CI and substantially increase our knowledge on reproductive manipulator symbionts that do not only severely affect population genetic structure of arthropods but may also serve as powerful tools in pest management.
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Duron O, Bernard J, Atyame CM, Dumas E, Weill M. Rapid evolution of Wolbachia incompatibility types. Proc Biol Sci 2012; 279:4473-80. [PMID: 22951738 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2012.1368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In most insects, the endosymbiont Wolbachia induces cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), an embryonic mortality observed when infected males mate either with uninfected females or with females infected by an incompatible Wolbachia strain. Although the molecular mechanism of CI remains elusive, it is classically viewed as a modification-rescue model, in which a Wolbachia mod function disables the reproductive success of the sperm of infected males, unless eggs are infected and express a compatible resc function. The extent to which the modification-rescue model can predict highly complex CI pattern remains a challenging issue. Here, we show the rapid evolution of the mod-resc system in the Culex pipiens mosquito. We have surveyed four incompatible laboratory isofemale lines over 50 generations and observed in two of them that CI has evolved from complete to partial incompatibility (i.e. the production of a mixture of compatible and incompatible clutches). Emergence of the new CI types depends only on Wolbachia determinants and can be simply explained by the gain of new resc functions. Evolution of CI types in Cx. pipiens thus appears as a gradual process, in which one or several resc functions can coexist in the same individual host in addition to the ones involved in the self-compatibility. Our data identified CI as a very dynamic process. We suggest that ancestral and mutant Wolbachia expressing distinct resc functions can co-infect individual hosts, opening the possibility for the mod functions to evolve subsequently. This gives a first clue towards the understanding of how Wolbachia reached highly complex CI pattern in host populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Duron
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution, UMR5554 CNRS-Université Montpellier 2, Montpellier Cedex 05, France.
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Pichon S, Bouchon D, Liu C, Chen L, Garrett RA, Grève P. The expression of one ankyrin pk2 allele of the WO prophage is correlated with the Wolbachia feminizing effect in isopods. BMC Microbiol 2012; 12:55. [PMID: 22497736 PMCID: PMC3431249 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2180-12-55] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2011] [Accepted: 04/12/2012] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The maternally inherited α-Proteobacteria Wolbachia pipientis is an obligate endosymbiont of nematodes and arthropods, in which they induce a variety of reproductive alterations, including Cytoplasmic Incompatibility (CI) and feminization. The genome of the feminizing wVulC Wolbachia strain harboured by the isopod Armadillidium vulgare has been sequenced and is now at the final assembly step. It contains an unusually high number of ankyrin motif-containing genes, two of which are homologous to the phage-related pk1 and pk2 genes thought to contribute to the CI phenotype in Culex pipiens. These genes encode putative bacterial effectors mediating Wolbachia-host protein-protein interactions via their ankyrin motifs. RESULTS To test whether these Wolbachia homologs are potentially involved in altering terrestrial isopod reproduction, we determined the distribution and expression of both pk1 and pk2 genes in the 3 Wolbachia strains that induce CI and in 5 inducing feminization of their isopod hosts. Aside from the genes being highly conserved, we found a substantial copy number variation among strains, and that is linked to prophage diversity. Transcriptional analyses revealed expression of one pk2 allele (pk2b2) only in the feminizing Wolbachia strains of isopods. CONCLUSIONS These results reveal the need to investigate the functions of Wolbachia ankyrin gene products, in particular those of Pk2, and their host targets with respect to host sex manipulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Pichon
- Ecologie, Evolution, Symbiose, UMR CNRS 6556, Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France
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Atyame CM, Pasteur N, Dumas E, Tortosa P, Tantely ML, Pocquet N, Licciardi S, Bheecarry A, Zumbo B, Weill M, Duron O. Cytoplasmic incompatibility as a means of controlling Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus mosquito in the islands of the south-western Indian Ocean. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2011; 5:e1440. [PMID: 22206033 PMCID: PMC3243720 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0001440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2011] [Accepted: 11/07/2011] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The use of the bacterium Wolbachia is an attractive alternative method to control vector populations. In mosquitoes, as in members of the Culex pipiens complex, Wolbachia induces a form of embryonic lethality called cytoplasmic incompatibility, a sperm-egg incompatibility occurring when infected males mate either with uninfected females or with females infected with incompatible Wolbachia strain(s). Here we explore the feasibility of the Incompatible Insect Technique (IIT), a species-specific control approach in which field females are sterilized by inundative releases of incompatible males. We show that the Wolbachia wPip(Is) strain, naturally infecting Cx. p. pipiens mosquitoes from Turkey, is a good candidate to control Cx. p. quinquefasciatus populations on four islands of the south-western Indian Ocean (La Réunion, Mauritius, Grande Glorieuse and Mayotte). The wPip(Is) strain was introduced into the nuclear background of Cx. p. quinquefasciatus mosquitoes from La Réunion, leading to the LR[wPip(Is)] line. Total embryonic lethality was observed in crosses between LR[wPip(Is)] males and all tested field females from the four islands. Interestingly, most crosses involving LR[wPip(Is)] females and field males were also incompatible, which is expected to reduce the impact of any accidental release of LR[wPip(Is)] females. Cage experiments demonstrate that LR[wPip(Is)] males are equally competitive with La Réunion males resulting in demographic crash when LR[wPip(Is)] males were introduced into La Réunion laboratory cages. These results, together with the geographic isolation of the four south-western Indian Ocean islands and their limited land area, support the feasibility of an IIT program using LR[wPip(Is)] males and stimulate the implementation of field tests for a Cx. p. quinquefasciatus control strategy on these islands. Mosquitoes of the Culex pipiens complex are important vectors of human pathogens including filarial parasites and many currently expanding arboviruses. The absence of effective vaccines and the evolution of insecticide resistance stress the urgent need for the development of novel control strategies. One strategy that is receiving increasing attention is based upon the use of the intracellular bacteria Wolbachia, which induce a form of sterility known as cytoplasmic incompatibility in mosquitoes. Here, we show that a Wolbachia strain, named wPip(Is) and naturally infecting Cx. p. pipiens from Turkey, can be used in the Incompatible Insect Technique (IIT) to sterilize Cx. p. quinquefasciatus females from several islands of the southwestern Indian Ocean (SWIO). The wPip(Is) strain was introduced into SWIO Cx. p. quinquefasciatus nuclear background leading to the LR[wPip(Is)] line. Males from this latter line were found to sterilize all wild females tested, and no difference in mating competition was observed between LR[wPip(Is)] and wild males. These results encourage the development of an IIT program based on the wPip(Is) strain to control mosquito populations in the SWIO.
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Affiliation(s)
- Célestine M. Atyame
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution, CNRS UMR 5554, Université Montpellier 2, Montpellier, France
| | - Nicole Pasteur
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution, CNRS UMR 5554, Université Montpellier 2, Montpellier, France
| | - Emilie Dumas
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution, CNRS UMR 5554, Université Montpellier 2, Montpellier, France
| | - Pablo Tortosa
- Centre de Recherche et de Veille sur les Maladies Émergentes dans l'Océan Indien (CRVOI), Ste Clotilde, France
- Fédération de Recherche Environnement, Biodiversité et Santé, Université de La Réunion, Ste Clotilde, France
| | - Michaël Luciano Tantely
- Department of Entomology, Faculty of Science, University of Antananarivo, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Nicolas Pocquet
- Agence Régionale de Santé (ARS) Océan Indien, Délégation de l'Ile de Mayotte, Mamoudzou, France
| | - Séverine Licciardi
- Centre de Recherche et de Veille sur les Maladies Émergentes dans l'Océan Indien (CRVOI), Ste Clotilde, France
- Groupement d'Intérêt Public Cyclotron Réunion Océan Indien (GIP CYROI), CIRAD UMR 15, Ste Clotilde, France
| | - Ambicadutt Bheecarry
- Vector Biology and Control Division, Ministry of Health and Quality of Life, Port Louis, Mauritius
| | - Betty Zumbo
- Agence Régionale de Santé (ARS) Océan Indien, Délégation de l'Ile de Mayotte, Mamoudzou, France
| | - Mylène Weill
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution, CNRS UMR 5554, Université Montpellier 2, Montpellier, France
| | - Olivier Duron
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution, CNRS UMR 5554, Université Montpellier 2, Montpellier, France
- * E-mail:
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Biliske JA, Batista PD, Grant CL, Harris HL. The bacteriophage WORiC is the active phage element in wRi of Drosophila simulans and represents a conserved class of WO phages. BMC Microbiol 2011; 11:251. [PMID: 22085419 PMCID: PMC3235987 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2180-11-251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2011] [Accepted: 11/15/2011] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The alphaproteobacterium Wolbachia pipientis, the most common endosymbiont in eukaryotes, is found predominantly in insects including many Drosophila species. Although Wolbachia is primarily vertically transmitted, analysis of its genome provides evidence for frequent horizontal transfer, extensive recombination and numerous mobile genetic elements. The genome sequence of Wolbachia in Drosophila simulans Riverside (wRi) is available along with the integrated bacteriophages, enabling a detailed examination of phage genes and the role of these genes in the biology of Wolbachia and its host organisms. Wolbachia is widely known for its ability to modify the reproductive patterns of insects. One particular modification, cytoplasmic incompatibility, has previously been shown to be dependent on Wolbachia density and inversely related to the titer of lytic phage. The wRi genome has four phage regions, two WORiBs, one WORiA and one WORiC. Results In this study specific primers were designed to distinguish between these four prophage types in wRi, and quantitative PCR was used to measure the titer of bacteriophages in testes, ovaries, embryos and adult flies. In all tissues tested, WORiA and WORiB were not found to be present in excess of their integrated prophages; WORiC, however, was found to be present extrachromosomally. WORiC is undergoing extrachromosomal replication in wRi. The density of phage particles was found to be consistent in individual larvae in a laboratory population. The WORiC genome is organized in conserved blocks of genes and aligns most closely with other known lytic WO phages, WOVitA and WOCauB. Conclusions The results presented here suggest that WORiC is the lytic form of WO in D. simulans, is undergoing extrachromosomal replication in wRi, and belongs to a conserved family of phages in Wolbachia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer A Biliske
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Alberta CW 403 Biological Sciences Building Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E9, Canada
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Papafotiou G, Oehler S, Savakis C, Bourtzis K. Regulation of Wolbachia ankyrin domain encoding genes in Drosophila gonads. Res Microbiol 2011; 162:764-72. [PMID: 21726632 DOI: 10.1016/j.resmic.2011.06.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2011] [Accepted: 05/25/2011] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
The maternally inherited obligatory intracellular bacterium Wolbachia is a reproductive parasite of many insect species. Wolbachia evades the host immune system, uses the mitotic apparatus to ensure infection of daughter cells, migrates through the host to the gonads and causes reproductive phenotypes, most commonly cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), i.e. incompatibility of sperm from infected males and eggs from uninfected females. Due to the interconnected facts that Wolbachia is not ex vivo culturable and that no established transformation system exists, virtually nothing is known about Wolbachia-host interactions at the macromolecular level. Intriguingly, the Wolbachia genome codes for an unusually high number of ankyrin repeat (ANK) proteins. ANKs mediate protein-protein interactions in many different contexts. More common in eukaryotes, they also occur in prokaryotes. Some intracellular pathogenic bacteria export ANK effector proteins to the host cytoplasm. This makes the Wolbachia ANK genes candidates for mediating interactions with host cells. We quantified expression of ANK genes of Wolbachia strain wMel in adult gonads and detected host sex-specific regulation of two wMel ANK genes in the gonads in two different backgrounds. Regulation was tissue-specific and independent of host background. We further analyzed expression of their homologues in strains wAu and wRi and found regulation only in wAu. Regulation was tissue-specific and there was no correlation between regulation of these genes and the ability of a strain to induce CI.
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Affiliation(s)
- George Papafotiou
- Institute of Cellular and Developmental Biology, Biomedical Sciences Research Center Alexander Fleming, Vari 16672, Greece
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Duron O, Raymond M, Weill M. Many compatible Wolbachia strains coexist within natural populations of Culex pipiens mosquito. Heredity (Edinb) 2011; 106:986-93. [PMID: 21119702 PMCID: PMC3186242 DOI: 10.1038/hdy.2010.146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2010] [Revised: 10/04/2010] [Accepted: 10/25/2010] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Maternally inherited Wolbachia often manipulate the reproduction of arthropods to promote their transmission. In most species, Wolbachia exert a form of conditional sterility termed cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), characterized by the death of embryos produced by the mating between individuals with incompatible Wolbachia infections. From a theoretical perspective, no stable coexistence of incompatible Wolbachia infections is expected within host populations and CI should induce the invasion of one strain or of a set of compatible strains. In this study, we investigated this prediction on CI dynamics in natural populations of the common house mosquito Culex pipiens. We surveyed the Wolbachia diversity and the expression of CI in breeding sites of the south of France between 1990 and 2005. We found that geographically close C. pipiens populations harbor considerable Wolbachia diversity, which is stably maintained over 15 years. We also observed a very low frequency of infertile clutches within each sampled site. Meanwhile, mating choice experiments conducted in laboratory conditions showed that assortative mating does not occur. Overall, this suggests that a large set of compatible Wolbachia strains are always locally dominant within mosquito populations thus, fitting with the theoretical expectations on CI dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- O Duron
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution, CNRS-Université Montpellier 2, Place Eugène Bataillon, Montpellier cedex 05, France.
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40
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Wolbachia and the biological control of mosquito-borne disease. EMBO Rep 2011; 12:508-18. [PMID: 21546911 DOI: 10.1038/embor.2011.84] [Citation(s) in RCA: 248] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2011] [Accepted: 04/12/2011] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue fever and filariasis cause an enormous health burden to people living in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Despite years of intense effort to control them, many of these diseases are increasing in prevalence, geographical distribution and severity, and options to control them are limited. The transinfection of mosquitos with the maternally inherited, endosymbiotic bacteria Wolbachia is a promising new biocontrol approach. Fruit fly Wolbachia strains can invade and sustain themselves in mosquito populations, reduce adult lifespan, affect mosquito reproduction and interfere with pathogen replication. Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes have been released in areas of Australia in which outbreaks of dengue fever occur, as a prelude to the application of this technology in dengue-endemic areas of south-east Asia.
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Atyame CM, Delsuc F, Pasteur N, Weill M, Duron O. Diversification of Wolbachia endosymbiont in the Culex pipiens mosquito. Mol Biol Evol 2011; 28:2761-72. [PMID: 21515811 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msr083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The α-proteobacteria Wolbachia are among the most common intracellular bacteria and have recently emerged as important drivers of arthropod biology. Wolbachia commonly act as reproductive parasites in arthropods by inducing cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), a type of conditional sterility between hosts harboring incompatible infections. In this study, we examined the evolutionary histories of Wolbachia infections, known as wPip, in the common house mosquito Culex pipiens, which exhibits the greatest variation in CI crossing patterns observed in any insect. We first investigated a panel of 20 wPip strains for their genetic diversity through a multilocus scheme combining 13 Wolbachia genes. Because Wolbachia depend primarily on maternal transmission for spreading within arthropod populations, we also studied the variability in the coinherited Cx. pipiens mitochondria. In total, we identified 14 wPip haplotypes, which all share a monophyletic origin and clearly cluster into five distinct wPip groups. The diversity of Cx. pipiens mitochondria was extremely reduced, which is likely a consequence of cytoplasmic hitchhiking driven by a unique and recent Wolbachia invasion. Phylogenetic evidence indicates that wPip infections and mitochondrial DNA have codiverged through stable cotransmission within the cytoplasm and shows that a rapid diversification of wPip has occurred. The observed pattern demonstrates that a considerable degree of Wolbachia diversity can evolve within a single host species over short evolutionary periods. In addition, multiple signatures of recombination were found in most wPip genomic regions, leading us to conclude that the mosaic nature of wPip genomes may play a key role in their evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Célestine M Atyame
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution, CNRS, UMR5554, Université Montpellier 2, Place Eugène Bataillon, Montpellier, France
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Yamada R, Iturbe-Ormaetxe I, Brownlie JC, O'Neill SL. Functional test of the influence of Wolbachia genes on cytoplasmic incompatibility expression in Drosophila melanogaster. INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2011; 20:75-85. [PMID: 20854481 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2583.2010.01042.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Wolbachia are inherited intracellular bacteria that infect a broad range of invertebrate hosts. They commonly manipulate host reproduction in a variety of ways and thereby favour their invasion into host populations. While the biology of Wolbachia has been extensively studied at the ecological and phenotypic level, little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying the interaction between Wolbachia and their hosts. Recent comparative genomics studies of Wolbachia strains have revealed putative candidate genes involved in the expression of cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) in insects. However the functional testing of these genes is hindered by the lack of available genetic tools in Wolbachia. To circumvent this problem we generated transgenic Drosophila lines expressing various Wolbachia CI candidate genes under the control of the GAL4/UAS system in order to evaluate their possible role in Wolbachia-related phenotypes in Drosophila. The expression of a number of these genes in Drosophila melanogaster failed to mimic or alter CI phenotypes across a range of Wolbachia backgrounds or in the absence of Wolbachia.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Yamada
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, Australia
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Atyame CM, Duron O, Tortosa P, Pasteur N, Fort P, Weill M. Multiple Wolbachia determinants control the evolution of cytoplasmic incompatibilities in Culex pipiens mosquito populations. Mol Ecol 2010; 20:286-98. [PMID: 21114563 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294x.2010.04937.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Wolbachia are maternally inherited endosymbionts that can invade arthropod populations through manipulation of their reproduction. In mosquitoes, Wolbachia induce embryonic death, known as cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), whenever infected males mate with females either uninfected or infected with an incompatible strain. Although genetic determinants of CI are unknown, a functional model involving the so-called mod and resc factors has been proposed. Natural populations of Culex pipiens mosquito display a complex CI relationship pattern associated with the highest Wolbachia (wPip) genetic polymorphism reported so far. We show here that C. pipiens populations from La Réunion, a geographically isolated island in the southwest of the Indian Ocean, are infected with genetically closely related wPip strains. Crossing experiments reveal that these Wolbachia are all mutually compatible. However, crosses with genetically more distant wPip strains indicate that Wolbachia strains from La Réunion belong to at least five distinct incompatibility groups (or crossing types). These incompatibility properties which are strictly independent from the nuclear background, formally establish that in C. pipiens, CI is controlled by several Wolbachia mod/resc factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Celestine M Atyame
- Université Montpellier II, UMR CNRS 5554, Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution, Génétique de l'Adaptation, Montpellier, France
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44
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Kent BN, Bordenstein SR. Phage WO of Wolbachia: lambda of the endosymbiont world. Trends Microbiol 2010; 18:173-81. [PMID: 20083406 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2009.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2009] [Revised: 12/07/2009] [Accepted: 12/16/2009] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The discovery of an extraordinarily high level of mobile elements in the genome of Wolbachia, a widespread arthropod and nematode endosymbiont, suggests that this bacterium could be an excellent model for assessing the evolution and function of mobile DNA in specialized bacteria. In this paper, we discuss how studies on the temperate bacteriophage WO of Wolbachia have revealed unexpected levels of genomic flux and are challenging previously held views about the clonality of obligate intracellular bacteria. We also discuss the roles this phage might play in the Wolbachia-arthropod symbiosis and infer how this research can be translated to combating human diseases vectored by arthropods. We expect that this temperate phage will be a preeminent model system to understand phage genetics, evolution and ecology in obligate intracellular bacteria. In this sense, phage WO might be likened to phage lambda of the endosymbiont world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bethany N Kent
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA.
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Osborne SE, Leong YS, O'Neill SL, Johnson KN. Variation in antiviral protection mediated by different Wolbachia strains in Drosophila simulans. PLoS Pathog 2009; 5:e1000656. [PMID: 19911047 PMCID: PMC2768908 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1000656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 244] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2009] [Accepted: 10/13/2009] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Drosophila C virus (DCV) is a natural pathogen of Drosophila and a useful model for studying antiviral defences. The Drosophila host is also commonly infected with the widespread endosymbiotic bacteria Wolbachia pipientis. When DCV coinfects Wolbachia-infected D. melanogaster, virus particles accumulate more slowly and virus induced mortality is substantially delayed. Considering that Wolbachia is estimated to infect up to two-thirds of all insect species, the observed protective effects of Wolbachia may extend to a range of both beneficial and pest insects, including insects that vector important viral diseases of humans, animals and plants. Currently, Wolbachia-mediated antiviral protection has only been described from a limited number of very closely related strains that infect D. melanogaster. We used D. simulans and its naturally occurring Wolbachia infections to test the generality of the Wolbachia-mediated antiviral protection. We generated paired D. simulans lines either uninfected or infected with five different Wolbachia strains. Each paired fly line was challenged with DCV and Flock House virus. Significant antiviral protection was seen for some but not all of the Wolbachia strain-fly line combinations tested. In some cases, protection from virus-induced mortality was associated with a delay in virus accumulation, but some Wolbachia-infected flies were tolerant to high titres of DCV. The Wolbachia strains that did protect occurred at comparatively high density within the flies and were most closely related to the D. melanogaster Wolbachia strain wMel. These results indicate that Wolbachia-mediated antiviral protection is not ubiquitous, a finding that is important for understanding the distribution of Wolbachia and virus in natural insect populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheree E. Osborne
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Yi San Leong
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Scott L. O'Neill
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Karyn N. Johnson
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
- * E-mail:
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Serbus LR, Casper-Lindley C, Landmann F, Sullivan W. The genetics and cell biology of Wolbachia-host interactions. Annu Rev Genet 2009; 42:683-707. [PMID: 18713031 DOI: 10.1146/annurev.genet.41.110306.130354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 278] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Wolbachia are gram-negative bacteria that are widespread in nature, carried by the majority of insect species as well as some mites, crustaceans, and filarial nematodes. Wolbachia can range from parasitic to symbiotic, depending upon the interaction with the host species. The success of Wolbachia is attributed to efficient maternal transmission and manipulations of host reproduction that favor infected females, such as sperm-egg cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI). Much remains unknown about the mechanistic basis for Wolbachia-host interactions. Here we summarize the current understanding of Wolbachia interaction with insect hosts, with a focus on Drosophila. The areas of discussion include Wolbachia transmission in oogenesis, Wolbachia distribution in spermatogenesis, induction and rescue of the CI phenotype, Wolbachia genomics, and Wolbachia-membrane interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura R Serbus
- Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, California 95064, USA
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The diversity of reproductive parasites among arthropods: Wolbachia do not walk alone. BMC Biol 2008; 6:27. [PMID: 18577218 PMCID: PMC2492848 DOI: 10.1186/1741-7007-6-27] [Citation(s) in RCA: 430] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2008] [Accepted: 06/24/2008] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Inherited bacteria have come to be recognised as important components of arthropod biology. In addition to mutualistic symbioses, a range of other inherited bacteria are known to act either as reproductive parasites or as secondary symbionts. Whilst the incidence of the α-proteobacterium Wolbachia is relatively well established, the current knowledge of other inherited bacteria is much weaker. Here, we tested 136 arthropod species for a range of inherited bacteria known to demonstrate reproductive parasitism, sampling each species more intensively than in past surveys. Results The inclusion of inherited bacteria other than Wolbachia increased the number of infections recorded in our sample from 33 to 57, and the proportion of species infected from 22.8% to 32.4%. Thus, whilst Wolbachia remained the dominant inherited bacterium, it alone was responsible for around half of all inherited infections of the bacteria sampled, with members of the Cardinium, Arsenophonus and Spiroplasma ixodetis clades each occurring in 4% to 7% of all species. The observation that infection was sometimes rare within host populations, and that there was variation in presence of symbionts between populations indicates that our survey will itself underscore incidence. Conclusion This extensive survey demonstrates that at least a third of arthropod species are infected by a diverse assemblage of maternally inherited bacteria that are likely to strongly influence their hosts' biology, and indicates an urgent need to establish the nature of the interaction between non-Wolbachia bacteria and their hosts.
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